The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1887-04-14

the display, and more recently subscriptions
of from $500 to 81 900 each, have been declined
because all money necessary had already
been subscribed and paid In.
The camping ground will be that lying
around the Washington Monument. The
drill ground will be the beautiful, level
ellipse, half O mile in circumference, lying
south of the White House, and which Is
called the White Lot. Here, daily will be
held the contests to prove the excellence OF
the citizen soldiery, infantry, artillery, cav.
elry, and zouave tactics.
There will be contending companies, If not
rival regiments, from many parts of the
country. The east and west, north and south
will be here with their bands and drum
corps. The lake and gulf sections will be
represented and indeed the whole country
from Sandy Hook to the Golden Gate, from
Castine to San Diego, from Seattle to Key
West will be here to drill for the prizes. Be-
sides the distribution of SIC. 500 in cash prizes,
there viii be stands of colors, medals in gold,
silver and bronze, special medals and plate
trophies. The drill, which will begin on the
2sd of May will last nine days and close on
Decoration Day." Each evening there will
be grand brigade dress parade, and on Gov
army corps from Camp George Washington
viii parade the broad avenues of the city.
Each evening during the drill the grounds
will be illuminated for promenade concerts
and for other attractions which are now be-.
ing prepared for the public.
Not only will all sections of the country
send theis volunteer soldiery to complete for
the prizes. but the latter Will bring along
their sisters and their cousins and their
aunts'' to witness their brilliant achieve.
ments. The number of military to be here
is estimated at twenty thousand and the
number of visiting spectators expected to be
present is from two hundred thousand to
three hundred thousand. 1t will doubtless
be the largest gathering seen here since the
grand review at the close OF the war.
An immense multitude of people is always
interesting in itself and to itself, and one
very important feature of the affair is the
provision for board and shelter. Washing
ton is city of hotels and boarding houses.
1t was not crowded during the Cleveland in
auguration, altb ough there were said to be
hundreds of thousands of visitors here then.
There is no more interesting city in Amer
ca than Washington, and May finds it In its
glory. Now a.days every body who has seen
it ever afterwards considers the education of
everybody who has not visited the Capitol
incomplete One of the chief things that
this ''show city" Jacks is something to draw
the people here once or twice year in great
numbers, and it has been proposed that the
National drill be made a permanent iEstitu-
tion, as prevalent and regular as Congress.
Al any rate, the city, with its marble halls
and asphalt streets, its historic spots and
beautiful surroundings, with Mount Vernon,
Georgetown, Bladensburg. Arlington, the Pc.
tomac, and with Harper's Ferry and the
Chesapeake but a short distance away, offers
you many inducements for a week visit in
May.
The action of two of the finest military COM
panies of Alabama in Withdrawing their en-
tries from the National Drill because some
colored CO mpanies from Virginia and Wash
ington will participate in the contest, has
excited unfavorable comment on all sides.
There does not seem to be any general dispo-
sition however, among the citizens soldiery
of the South, TO initiate the example of Mont
gomery True Blues" and "Greys." The
spirit which animate their course Is one
which deserves, and will re ceive the censure
of the better class of citizens in all parts of
the country.
The regular array is composed in part of
colored regiments, and those who are going
to take part in the competition for prizes
would be called in action as quickly as any
others If the country were invaded. The af-
frorted Southern companies have a right to
draw the color line as closely and as long as
they stubbornly please to do, but the current
comment here is that the Alabamians will
simply lose the best opportunity they have
ever had for public display of their excel.
lent discipline, while the imposing show
will go on as grandly as If they had len t
their presence to its success.
Indeed, the loss thus experienced has al
ready been more than counterbalanced by
additional entries from the North and West,
stimulated probably by the recalcitrant
course of the Southern militia.
The latter seem to have forgotten that a
number of colored organizations took part
in the inauguration oil q democratic presi-
dent two years ago without offending any
body, and that they failed to criticise Gov.
Lee of Va. for assigning places to the colored
troops at the ceremonies of laying the Garner
stone of Richmonds City Hall.